ROME (AP) – Canada stands out Jonathan David regains his form as a World Cup at home approaches.
David scored his third goal in four matches and Juventus beat defending champions Napoli 3-0 in Series A on Sunday.
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The result meant Luciano Spalletti got the better of Antonio Conte, with both coaches meeting former teams.
Midway through the first half, David took a pass over the top from Manuel Locatelli and pushed it in.
Three minutes earlier, Juventus midfielder Khephren Thuram had hit the post, and three minutes after the goal, the Turin club had another chance when Francisco Conceicao’s shot was blocked off the line by Napoli defender Alessandro Buongiorno.
Kenan Yildiz and Filip Kostic added second-half goals for host Juventus.
Napoli remained third, three points behind AC Milan, who visited Roma later on Sunday. Juventus moved to level on points with fourth-placed Roma.
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Spalletti coached Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023, while Conte led Juventus to three consecutive Italian league titles after also playing for the club.
David scored on his Serie A debut for Juventus in August but then suffered a long drought before returning to form this month with a goal and an assist against Sassuolo and another goal against Cremonese. He also provided an assist in Juve’s Champions League win over Benfica on Wednesday.
David’s season also faced a change of coach, with Spalletti replacing the fired Igor Tudor in October.
Canada is co-hosting the World Cup this year with the United States and Mexico.
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Canada is in a group with Qatar, Switzerland and another team yet to be determined in the European playoffs that includes four-time champions Italy.
Lukaku makes season debut for Napoli
The only good news for Napoli was the introduction of Romelu Lukaku in the second half for his first action since his injury in a pre-season friendly.
Lukaku wasted his only chance after a great setup from Rasmus Hojlund.
Additionally, seventh-placed Atalanta beat Parma 4-0 with Giacomo Raspadori scoring on his first start for the Bergamo club following his move from Atletico Madrid.
Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa came from two goals down to beat 10-man Bologna 3-2 with an injury-time winner from Junior Messias; and Sassuolo beat Cremonese 1-0.
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AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
